Skip to content

Ductility

A measure of the degree of plastic deformation at fracture.

Most metals are ductile. Ductile materials have high tensile strength.

Percentage elongation

Percentage reduction in area

Brittle

A material that experiences very little or no plastic deformation.

Brittleness order: Ionic bonds > Covalent bonds > Metallic bonds

Malleability

Ability of a material to undergo plastic deformation under compression.

Ductility & Brittleness

Depends on:

  • Composition of the material
  • Temperature